ABSTRACT ? LEADERSHIP and ADMINISTRATIVE CORE (LAC) Taking advantage of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio?s exceptional basic research programs in aging biology and its numerous educational resources in gerontology, we propose an Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC) with the overarching goal of establishing an interdisciplinary research program to promote healthy aging. We will achieve this goal by (i) advancing aging research from model systems (C. elegans, Drosophila) and rodents to studies in non-human primates (common marmoset); (ii) translating pre-clinical animal research to human interventions; and (iii) training the next generation of gerontology-oriented translational scientists. The Leadership and Administrative Core (LAC) will provide leadership and develop an infrastructure that fosters integration of aging-related basic and clinical sciences, catalyzes scientific discoveries, promotes education and mentorship, and partners with other scientists and the community at large, with the overarching goal of developing novel interventions to improve the health, quality of life, and independence of older Americans. The LAC will monitor, stimulate, sustain, evaluate, and report progress toward our goal through the following Specific Aims: 1) Provide logistical support and promote operational cohesiveness to the OAIC; 2) Promote research protocol adherence and maintain regulatory compliance with university and governmental policies for the responsible conduct of research supported by the OAIC; 3) Disseminate the scientific innovation accomplished by OAIC investigators, inside and outside our institution, regarding novel aging- modulating interventions to enhance and extend human health; 4) Stimulate and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration among OAIC investigators, cores, committees, and projects, to advance basic science in aging biology from the bench to the bedside; 5) Select and monitor pilot and exploratory studies and Scholars aligned with the OAIC theme; 6) Monitor and evaluate OAIC progress, foster institutional collaborations, and leverage resources; 7) Provide programmatic and scientific guidance to training programs, pilot studies, and resource cores; and 8) Be an active member of the national OAIC program to help advance the mission of promoting independence of older Americans.